Need for reform in National Research Foundation

Reference

• In the year 2023, both the houses of Parliament passed the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill.
• It represents the historic beginning of an initiative to promote, develop and facilitate research in India, especially in the universities and colleges of India. 

Key features of Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill, 2023

• It repeals the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) Act, 2008 as well as dissolves the Science and Engineering Research Board constituted under it.
  • SERB was established as a statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• The Bill will provide high-level strategic direction for research, innovation and entrepreneurship in the fields of natural sciences including science, engineering, technology and mathematics (STEM), environmental and earth sciences, health and agriculture, as well as the scientific and technological interface of humanities and social sciences.
• The Bill proposes to increase expenditure on research and development in the country.
  • It proposes to spend Rs 50,000 crore for five years, out of which about Rs 36,000 crore will come from non-governmental sources, industry and donors, domestic and external sources.
• The Bill will set aside funds for state universities and institutions.
• The Act will establish an apex body 'National Research Foundation' (NRF) to provide high-level strategic direction to scientific research in the country, as per the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP). Its total estimated cost will be Rs 50,000 crore during five years (2023-28). 

National Research Foundation (NRF)

• What is it: A premier institution established by the Government of India
• Establishment: In the year 2021 under the National Education Policy, 2020 (NEP, 2020)
• Objective:
  • To promote high quality research in the fields of education, science, technology and innovation
  • To encourage research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as well as social sciences and humanities
  • To establish India as a global research and innovation hub at the national and international level
• Function:
  • To promote research in various fields
  • To coordinate resources and information among various academic and research institutions
  • To provide financial assistance and grants for excellent research projects
  • To promote investment in research and development (R&D) in the public and private sector
  • To facilitate and finance the development of research and development and related infrastructure in universities, colleges and research institutes
  • Provide grants for research proposals
• Structure:
  • It will consist of a 15-member Governing Board and a 16-member Executive Council, registered as a society.
  • A Governing Board will be constituted to provide high-level governing strategic direction and execute and monitor the implementation of the objectives of the Foundation. The Governing Board comprises of:
    • Prime Minister of India: Ex-officio Chairman
    • Union Minister of Science and Technology: Ex-officio Vice-Chairman
    • Union Minister of Education: Ex-officio Vice-Chairman
  • It will consist of 10 major Directorates, which will focus on Natural Sciences including Mathematics; Engineering; Environment and Earth Sciences; Social Sciences; Arts and Humanities; Indian Languages ​​and Knowledge Systems; Health; Agriculture; Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
    • The NRF Board will oversee the functioning of these Directorates, each of which will have an appointed Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Secretariat.
  • The Chairperson of the Governing Board will constitute an Executive Council to implement the provisions of this Act.
  • The Executive Council shall consist of the following nominated by the Chairman of the Governing Board, namely:-
    • Ex-officio Chairman: Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India
    • Members of the Executive Council:
    • Secretaries of all Science Departments (Department of Science & Technology)
    • Secretaries of Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR), Earth Sciences, Agriculture, Health Research, Atomic Energy, New & Renewable Energy, Electronics & Information Technology, Higher Education & Defence R&D, Director of Indian Institute of Science
    • Director of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
    • Chairman of Indian Council of Historical Research 

Problems with National Research Foundation:

• Lack of University and Industry Representation: The NRF has been announced to have a 15-member Governing Board and a 16-member Executive Council. It does not have representation from the organisations envisaged to be supported and facilitated by the ANRF Bill.
  • The aim of ANRF is to strengthen the research infrastructure of universities. More than 95% of students in India attend state universities and colleges, whereas the Board and Executive Council do not have any member from central or state universities or colleges.
  • Lack of adequate representation and diversity from the industry is one of the biggest problems of the existing Board and Council, especially when ANRF plans to raise more than 70% of its funding from non-governmental sources and industry.
• Inadequate funding in R&D: Research foundations do not get adequate financial support, which limits their research capabilities. Research requires state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, which require adequate funds.
  • India's R&D expenditure has declined from 8% in 2008-2009 and 0.7% in 2017-2018 to 0.64% of GDP.
• Administrative bottlenecks: Complexity in the administrative structure and bureaucratic problems hinder researchers in their work. This has a negative impact on their productivity and quality of research.
• Inadequate collaboration: Lack of collaboration at national and international level hinders R&D. Communication and exchange of ideas among researchers becomes limited.
• Dependence on public funds: In the financial year 2020-2021, private sector industry contributed 4% to the Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD), while the share of the central government was 43.7%. State governments (6.7%), higher education (8.8%) and public sector industry (4.4%) were the other major contributors.  A large share of R&D investment in economically developed countries comes from the private sector, on average 70%. 

Related Suggestions

• Adequately staff the NRF and implement a robust grant management system
• Create an internal peer-review standards system with incentives for reviewers
• Ensure timely disbursement of research grants and student fellowships with a quick turn-around time (less than six months) between application and fund disbursement
• Create a system free of bureaucratic hassles in funding bodies and grantee institutions
• Provide flexibility to spend funds without following the stringent General Financial Rules (GFR) of the government
• Allow procurement without the Government e-marketplace (GeM) portal
• Emphasise on making the NRF work differently from any other existing government science department
• Ensure more diverse representation of practicing natural and social scientists from the university system
• Include more women and young entrepreneurs in the committee 

Way Forward

• NRF needs a complete makeover to avoid becoming just another government department and to integrate research and teaching in universities.
• The future CEO of NRF needs to have both industry and academia background.
• NRF should avoid the confusion arising from multiple committees. Therefore, it is important to have a single committee to formulate and implement strategies at the ground level.
• Apart from increasing the R&D budget to 4% of GDP, significant changes are needed in the current funding system to boost research and make innovations from Indian organizations globally competitive.
• For India to become a science power by 2047, bureaucratic capacity is needed to appraise science projects and monitor their utilisation after allocation.